* Wry: This suggests a dry, ironic, or slightly cynical humor. It implies a sense of detachment or resignation.
* Laboured ease: This is a paradox. "Ease" suggests something effortless, while "laboured" implies effort and strain. Together, they suggest a facade of calmness and acceptance, a forced composure that hides underlying pain or struggle.
* Loss: This is the central theme, pointing to a significant event or experience that has caused sorrow, grief, or emptiness.
Putting it all together:
The phrase describes a state of being where someone, or perhaps two individuals, are masking their grief with a wry, almost sardonic humor. They appear to have accepted the loss, but this acceptance is a carefully constructed act, a labored effort to appear composed in the face of deep sadness.
Possible Applications:
This phrase could be used to describe:
* Characters in a novel or play: They might use humor as a coping mechanism, hiding their pain beneath a veneer of indifference.
* People in a specific situation: Perhaps after a shared loss, friends might find themselves clinging to wry humor as a way to connect and support each other.
* A reflection on the nature of grief: This phrase could be a poignant commentary on how we often try to mask our emotions, particularly in the face of loss.
The phrase is a powerful one, capturing the complexities of grief and the way we sometimes try to manage our emotions through humor, even when it's strained and painful.